I have a degree in English and tried to sign up with Tutor.com last year. I easily passed their tests, was accepted, and was allowed to download their propriety software and tutoring manuals. My last step was to provide my education info, tax ID, and other personal data for a background check and for direct deposit setup. Now, I have lived a virtually blameless, and it must said, boring life, so the background check was nothing more than a formality. I expected to have my sign-up process finalized quickly, or to at least receive confirmation that they had received the (highly sensitve) information I had sent. Silence. I never heard from Tutor.com again, despite repeated faxes and emails requesting nothing more than confirmation that my personal information had been received and was being processed.
After a while, I decided if I couldn't trust these people to deal with me professionally during the sign-up process, I might not be able to depend on them after I was an active tutor either, so I withdrew my application. Needless to say, I sent them more than one communication to this effect, along with a request that they DESTROY the documents I had faxed and emailed that contained my social security number, past addresses, etc. Of course, they STILL did not respond, so for all I know all this sensitive information is floating around out there somewhere, waiting to be taken advantage of by an identity thief. Tutor.com is supposed to have one of the best reputations in the online tutoring business, but I can't say they impressed me. Approach with caution, and keep a close watch on your paperwork!